


7 Days of Loving Buck

by Stennerd



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Bleeding, Bobby loves Buck like a son, Buck and Bobby to the rescue, Buck hasn't been in deep water since the tsunami, Buck is a Good Dad, Buck loves eddie so much, Buck loves taking care of the diaz boys, Buck may or may not have spoken to Kevin's ghost at the wedding btw, Buck wears his heart on his sleeve, Bucks is as selfless as they come, Car crashes into water, F/F, Fluff, Fun, He's a true empath, Hen is always good to Buck, Hurt, It just didn't fit with the timeline, Like a big sister, M/M, Madney wedding, Marriage Proposal, Pranks, She always seems to understand what he needs, Sort Of, Stabbing, Vengence is Sweet, as long as it doesn't interfere with work, blood thinners, bobby likes a good prank, buck is a survivor, buck is strong, buddie, carjackking, cause damn it needed to, chim is a good brother in law, chronic leg pain, eddie loves buck just as much, evanweek2020, ew2020, flashback of tsunami (kind of), madney, naked, of course he would have something like that after his leg being crushed, our boy gets a little depressed, please assume sometime during their days off that he went to therapy, sometimes he forgets he's not, the team being supportive, theyre so domestic together, tw: depression, tw: drowning, we all know buck hen and chim are mad pranksters, we stan a good boyfriend, word of the wise - don't mess with eddies coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23271304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stennerd/pseuds/Stennerd
Summary: My contribution to Evan Week 2020 on tumblrDay 1: That’s my family + fluffDay 2: Why are you naked? + funDay 3: Please don’t close your eyes! + hurtDay 4: You want to marry me? + loveDay 5: You’re a good liar + comfortDay 6: I won’t let you do this + angstDay 7: Free Day - (10 reasons why we love Buck)
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Everyone, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan “Buck” Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 24
Kudos: 447





	1. Day 1: That’s my family + fluff

They were at the reception of Maddie and Chim’s wedding with everyone invited that were from important parts of both their lives.

Maddie looked beautiful. The light smattering of beads on her dress twinkled under the warm glow of the lights as Chim twirled her to the upbeat music. In fact, everyone was having a great time.

He spotted Hen and Karen dancing next to Bobby and Athena. All four of them matching each other’s dance moves, looking like the dorky parents that they’ve all become.

Michael was paired off with his boyfriend, someone who was fast becoming a regular member of their tight-knit family.

And then there was Eddie and Chris. They looked like they were having a grand old time. Eddie had left Chris’ crutches at the table and was supporting him while they danced. It was the most joy he’s been able to witness all in one place. 

Buck, on the other hand, was taking a break from the dancing and had sat down at one of the tables to sip at a glass of water. His leg had started to ache from all the movement and he just needed to give it a little rest.

He didn’t mind though, it was nice to just sit back and watch all the people he loved having the time of their lives.

An older man joins him for a bit, groaning as he takes a seat at the table. They strike up some polite conversation. Buck learns that his name was Kevin and that he was an old friend of Chim’s from before he was a firefighter.

Kevin gestures towards the dancefloor of people, “So, how do you know them?”

Buck watches all of his loved ones and comes up with the only answer that makes sense, “ **That’s my family**. They’re all my family.”

They joke and laugh as they each exchange stories before Maddie comes over declaring that she hasn’t had a proper dance with her little brother yet. She holds out both her hands, mirth twinkling in her eyes.

Buck obviously had no choice but to accept and puts both hands in her, allowing her to drag him back onto the dancefloor. He turns briefly back to the table to apologise to Kevin, but he was no longer there. Buck didn’t have a chance to think more about it before he’s surrounded by everyone and they get into the full swing of the bus stop.

His sister wasn’t done with him yet though and she leans into him with an almost staged whisper. “I heard someone wanted to dance with _his Buck_.”

Buck whips his head around and catches the connivingly wicked grin on Maddie’s face as she pushes him towards Eddie when the music changes into a slow dance. She follows and takes Christopher from Eddie, claiming that she needed his help in finding some food before it all disappears from the tables.

This meant that Buck was standing face to face with Eddie in the middle of the dancefloor, surrounded by couples with romantic music playing.

Buck quickly stammers out, “Would you- would you like to dance? With me. Would you like to dance with me?”

Eddie rolls his eyes but grins nonetheless and brings Buck in close, “I thought you would never ask.”


	2. Day 2: Why are you naked + Fun

It all started with Buck, Hen and Chim. The three of them had started a week-long prank war against each other. Eddie was aware of it but chose not to participate, mostly because he knew how easily it a prank war could escalate.

It was mostly small scale stuff; a little shoe polish on the inside of helmets, fake spiders hidden in unexpected places, packing peanuts stuffed inside lockers. You know, harmless stuff that wouldn’t affect them should they have to leave suddenly on a call.

But then Buck did something to his coffee, well everyone’s coffee but as a single dad, coffee was his life-blood and ruining that for him was going to cause serious repercussions; something that Buck was about to learn the hard way. 

That is what brings us to the current morning; Buck had just finished his workout for the morning in the station gym. He couldn’t put his finger on it but something about the day felt off somehow and he’s pretty sure it had something to do with the way Eddie, Hen and Chim were huddled together when he arrived.

He heads to the showers to wash up before heading up to have a quick second breakfast. What he did not expect, however, was the station alarm to go off while he still partially covered in soap.

Buck quickly turns off the taps and rushes out of the stall reaching for the towel no longer hanging on the hook where he left it. He swipes the water out of his eyes and turns in a full circle. All of his stuff was gone; his gym clothes, the towel, even the uniform he was going to change into. Gone.

“Hurry up Buck! We’re waiting for you.”

The only place Buck had spare clothes was in his locker and that was on the other side of the gym. Which would mean that he would have to run across open space to get there. Naked.

Covering himself as best he could, Buck peaks out the door and sees no one in sight. Steeling himself for the run, he swings the door and starts moving.

He barely gets 5 feet out the door when Bobby walks into view, looking decidedly unhurried by the alarm that was ringing only moments before.

**“Buck, why are you naked?”**

“I- um it’s hard to explain?” Buck furrows his brows in confusion, “Wait a second, shouldn’t we be going out on a job right now.”

Now its Bobby’s turn to be as equally confused, “No. I don’t know what you are talking about.” He waves a hand at Buck, “Go get dressed before I have to write you up for public indecency in the workplace.”

And with that, he walks away. What Buck couldn’t see was the bemused grin on his face as he heads upstairs.

Remembering that he was still butt naked, Buck quickly moves towards the locker room only to find the three masterminds waiting for him.

“Seriously?!”

Chim wolf whistles and Hen merely shrugs and pats him on the arm as she walks out, “Don’t look at us, this one was all Eddie’s idea, we just helped.”

Chim is quick to follow, leaving Eddie behind with his arms crossed and sporting a smug smirk. “I have a big family and we have long standing prank wars that escalate like you would not believe. I wasn’t planning on being involved with this one–”

He reaches for the folded towel on the bench next to him before moving to stand well within Buck’s personal space speaking lowly, “–But you just had to go and ruin with my morning coffee.”

Eddie pushes the towel into Buck’s chest, leaving him to get dressed for the day but not before calling over his shoulder, “be glad that I am not as vengeful as my sisters.”Buck shudders at the thought.

As he gets dressed he can’t help but smile; at least he knows who to pair with should he ever need a prank partner.


	3.  Day 3: Please don’t close your eyes! + hurt

One thing that Buck didn’t expect after fuelling up his truck near the 118 was being stabbed and carjacked. Whoever it was that did it must have been watching him, because they did it at the traffic lights just after the gas station.

It was dark out with the streets quiet, and all Buck was planning on doing that night was to grab a bite to eat from a nearby restaurant that the 118 frequents. Really, he was just craving their garlic bread and no one in the area could match their quality.

And now he is lying on the pavement staring up at the sky with blood seeping between his fingers as he presses his hand to the wound. He knows this is bad and really it’s only the fact that he knows that he has no way of contacting anyone because his phone is still in the car that reminds him that he needs to get up. 

The idea of getting up and actually doing it were two very separate things, however, he is well aware that if he stays on the ground, it would be a death sentence while he was still on blood thinners.

It was excruciating. His whole abdomen was on fire as he dragged himself to his feet, but he managed it. He could feel the wet warmth of the blood soaking into his shirt.

Buck was still wearing a sweater so, in a bid to attempt to staunch the bleeding, he somehow manages to pull it off whimpering as he does so and ties it tight over the stab wound. Tears were free-flowing down his cheeks at this point, quietly trailing down his face as he bends at the waist in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

Thankfully the fire station was only a couple of blocks away. Buck sets out in that direction, slowly putting one foot in front of the other. He hunches over even more over the wound, determined to make it to his team. He just hopes against all hope that they aren’t out on a call.

Standing outside the station has never brought so much relief to him until now. All the trucks were parked inside. Black shadows were dancing at the edges of his vision now and any adrenaline left in him was all but gone.

It was Chim that spotted him first, calling out a greeting from the top of the ladder truck. It takes him barely a second to realise something was terribly wrong.

“Cap!” He bellows as he scrambles down off the truck before skidding to a stop next to a now kneeling Buck. He catches Buck before he tilts to the side, narrowly avoiding cracking his head on the firehouse floor.

Chim gets him lying on his back and presses his hands against the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. Buck cries out at the white-hot pain Chim elicits but doesn’t fight against him like some people do. He blinks slowly and can just see the rest of the team appear around him before the shadows completely clouded his vision and his heavy eyelids start to droop shut.

Every touch to the stab wound sends a jolt throughout his body but now he’s barely able to react aside from a soft whimper. He can hear people talking and yet he can’t understand what they are saying. It’s only when someone starts tapping him on the cheek do the sounds around him properly register.

“Buck! Don’t close your eyes okay. **Please don’t close your eyes!** ” He knows he should listen to that voice. And he tries, he really does but he’s just so tired. Instead, he does the next best thing.

“I’m…still here,” he whispers, hoping that he could be heard.

He can feel a hand in his and it doesn’t leave; not when they put him on a backboard or when he’s carried to the ambulance and as they travel to the hospital. 

Every minute or so they would squeeze his hand and he would do his best to squeeze back as if to stay that he was still there. It’s a steady presence of which he is grateful, and he mourns the loss of it when it slips out of his grasp.

What seems like only moments later he feels something cold snake its way through his arm and settle in his body, the heavy pull of sleep beckons him and only now allows himself to rest.


	4. Day 4: You want to marry me? + love

> **Day 4: You want to marry me? + love**

Eddie had a long day. He ended up covering part of the next shift after their usual one while that team was a man down for a couple of hours. 

Buck on the other hand, went home, but after wandering around his apartment for 20 minutes already bored he came up with a better idea. He called Eddie’s Abuela, who Eddie asked to pick Chris up from school, and asked her if she didn’t mind if he collected him from her place and brought him home in a few hours. She happily agreed.

After speaking with her, Buck sent a quick text to Eddie.

_Buck: Just go straight home after work, okay? I’ll get Chris from Abuela’s : )_

Now with a plan for his afternoon, Buck headed out to pick up some ingredients for dinner. He knew that Eddie would be finishing in the evening and would be too tired to cook for himself by the time he got home. So tonight, Buck was going to make his day a little easier.

He already had Eddie’s spare key, so after the supermarket, he headed over to the house to pack the food away until he was ready to cook.

In the meantime; he checked the laundry and did a load of washing after seeing that the clothes hamper was nearly full, tidied up some of Christopher’s toys that were spread haphazardly around the living room and washed up the handful of dishes that were left out next to the sink.

A few hours had passed by the time all the jobs were done and it was finally time for him to go pick up Chris.

When they got back, Buck started prepping dinner after setting Christopher up at the kitchen bench with any school work that needed to be done. He puts on some quiet tunes and sets about chopping up the onions and bacon before frying them off in a saucepan.

Once everything in the saucepan for spaghetti bolognese was brewing nicely, he sets about boiling a pot of water for the pasta and then pulls out a fresh baguette of bread and brandishes it playfully like a sword in front of Chris, “What do you say to some homemade garlic bread?” 

Chris giggles at his silliness and bounces in his seat, “Yes please!”

Buck bows to him, baguette still in hand, “Your wish is my command,” He grins at Christopher before pointedly looking down at his half-finished homework, “Only if that homework is done before dinner is ready.”

Chris nods his head excitedly and continues to scribble out answers. Every now and then he would read out a question he was stuck on and Buck would do his best to answer. 

“Who would have thought that all it takes is for the promise of garlic bread to get you to do your homework.”

“Dad!” Eddie moves around the kitchen bench and plants a kiss in his son’s hair, “Hey mijo.”

“Eddie! Perfect timing as always, dinner is just about ready.”

Once they plate up and take a seat at the table, Buck distributes the garlic bread between the three of them, blowing lightly on Christopher’s to be sure that he didn’t burn his mouth on the steaming buttery goodness.

Eddie watches on happily, head resting on his palm as he lets his two favourite boys carry the conversation while they eat. He and Buck have only been in a relationship for barely a month, and yet, it feels as though they’ve been a family from the very beginning.

Them being partners and being in sync with each other at work translated so seamlessly in their personal lives. Buck always seemed to know exactly what he needed before he even has to say anything. He knew he was going to be tired after his shift, and what does he do? Instead of staying home and doing his own thing, he picks up Chris from his Abeula’s and cooks’ dinner, just so Eddie didn’t have to.

He even managed to get Christopher to do his homework, which is not always an easy task and yet Buck handled it effortlessly. They just looked so happy together, telling each other about their days and Eddie couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment. It was all so very domestic.

Buck interrupts his musing by standing up and clearing the table, causing Eddie to notice that they had already eaten their dinner without him realising it. Christopher was already on his way out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth.

“I’m going get Chris ready for bed, why don’t you go have a quick shower cause I can still smell the smoke coming off you from our last call together.” He wrinkles his nose but still leaves a quick kiss to Eddie’s temple as he heads to the kitchen, still laden with the bowls.

“You saying I stink Buckley?” Eddie asks teasingly.

“Yeah, but I love you anyway!” Is what he hears in return. He chuckles before taking the advice and heads towards the bathroom himself.

Buck hears the shower running as he heads to Christopher’s room, knocking on the door, “Can I come in?” He hears a quiet affirmative from inside and enters. Chris was already settled into bed with his blanket thrown over his legs.

Buck comes over and sits next to him, pulling up the covers to his chest and gives him a kiss on the forehead, “Goodnight buddy, dad will be in soon after his shower to say good night.”

“G’night, Bucky.”

Buck turns off the light before partially closing the door and heads back to the kitchen to wash the dishes. He’s so focused on what he’s doing, he doesn’t notice Eddie until his warm body is pressed against his back and his arms wrap themselves lightly around his waist.

Eddie rests his head on Buck’s shoulder and presses a kiss to it causing Buck to grin and sway slightly. He was so caught up in the moment that he almost didn’t hear the words mumbled into his shirt.

“What did you just say?” He turns in Eddie’s arms, dishes now forgotten as he loops his arms around Eddie’s neck.

Eddie meets his gaze sleepily, “Marry me.”

“ **You want to marry me?** ” He asks it so sincerely that it must have woken Eddie up slightly. His eyes widen as what he said to Buck sunk in, completely misreading the tone of Buck’s question.

“I-I um, crap, I didn’t mea-” Buck quiets his panicked words with a kiss. He does it so tenderly, it reminds Eddie of all the reasons why he loved him so much. He leans into it and lets his eyes fall shut, allowing his boyfriend to lead but Buck doesn’t deepen the kiss instead keeping the pressure soft and gentle, a promise of his love. It was exactly what Eddie needed to settle his thoughts.

He eventually pulls back and brings a hand to the side of Eddie’s face, gently running his thumb along the edge of his lips, eyes searching Eddies. “I love you, but perhaps we should talk about marriage after we’ve been dating for longer than a month.”

Eddie sighs in embarrassment and rests his forehead on Buck’s chest and Buck encompasses him in a warm hug, “I can’t believe I just did that. Just, this whole evening all I could think about was how easily you fit into our lives and it just came out.”

“Come on, I think it’s time for you to go to bed.”

Once they’re settled in bed with Buck on his back and Eddie with half his body covering Buck’s and his head pillowed on his chest. “Buck?” “Hmm” 

“I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t give me an answer.” 

“Is that so?” Buck asks playfully. 

Eddie turns onto his belly and rests his chin on his hands a question in his eyes. Buck looks down at him with a soft smile, “When you ask me again, my answer is and forever will be, yes.” 


	5.  Day 5: You’re a good liar + comfort

It had been a long shift. They had had so many back to back rescues that Buck wondered if their shift would ever be over. Normally he would be loving every minute of it, but he couldn’t, not while his leg was aching the way that it was.

It was a bone-weary ache that he felt in his soul and it was not going to be relieved anytime soon with just wishful thinking. Buck keeps all of this to himself, however, unwilling to admit that he was suffering especially while out on calls.

He goes about his job exactly like he normally would, hiding each wince when he steps awkwardly and exhales the pain silently through his nose every time he has to lift any heavy equipment while it puts even more weight on his leg. And if he had to swipe a stray tear away with the sweat from his brow, no one seemed the wiser. As far as he could tell, no one seemed to notice, and he’s kind of grateful for it. He didn’t want to be pitied.

When they finally get back to the station, Buck is sure he’s managed to keep his pain to himself and goes off by himself, claiming that he needed to wash off all the filth accumulated from each of the calls, and thankfully nobody questioned it. 

Once he gets under the steaming hot water, Buck lets his easy-going mask fall and allows himself to truly express the pain he’s feeling in the form of silent tears trailing and mixing in with the water. He bows his head and brings up his forearms to lean up against the tiled wall, transferring all the weight to his uninjured leg, letting all the hot water drum against his sore leg and soothe the muscle.

Buck keeps the shower short, so not arise any suspicion from the rest of the team and having them come asking questions. He just managed to dry off and was sitting on the bench after pulling on his pants when all the calf muscles in his leg spasmed with such intensity, that it caught him off guard.

Groaning with tears in his eyes, Buck lies back along the bench holding his leg and does his best to knead the muscles in the awkward position.

That’s how Hen found him. She knocked on the door as she opened it, “Buck, Bobby’s whipped up a quick lunch for us if you’re hungry?”

Buck couldn’t answer through the pain. “Buck?” Hen appears beside him, “Crap! Are you alright?” She kneels down next to Buck and caresses a cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb.

Buck shakes his head forcing out an answer through gritted teeth, “Spasm.”

Hen hums, before standing up and gently asking Buck to roll over on to his stomach with his towel under his head as a pillow.

“Hen, wha-” He doesn’t get a chance to say whatever he was going to say because Hen was working her fingers into the tight muscle. Buck buries his face into the towel initially, the pain almost unbearable before it settles with the muscles slowly stopping their spasms. He breathes out a sigh of relief, thankful that it was finally ending. The deep ache was still there but the spasms were finally gone.

“Better?”

“Much, thanks.” Buck lifts himself off the bench and limps around to his shirt, pulling it on while keeping most of his weight off his bad leg.

He catches Hen’s small frown as his shirt comes down past his face. “What?”

“How long has your leg been bothering you?”

Buck shrugs, “Not long,” and limps a little before making the effort to smooth out his gait as he makes his way to the bathroom door. He doesn’t even get through the doorway before he’s stopped in his tracks by Hen who had taken hold of his wrist.

She speaks lowly, eyes troubled, “ **You’re a good liar** Buck and you seem to have everyone else convinced, but I like to think that I know you well enough by now that I can tell when you’re not okay. Please don’t lie to me too.”

Buck sighs and lets the bathroom door fall shut and turns back to Hen, “The doctors said that I would probably have chronic pain in my leg for the rest of my life. Most days, it's fine, barely even a niggle. Today, not so much, it’s like this bone-deep ache that I can’t relieve. But seriously I’m fine Hen, I swear, it’ll pass.” 

Hen’s brow furrowed even more at the explanation. “So basically, you’ve been hiding that you’ve been in pain all shift. And you’ve probably been like this before without any of us noticing.”

Buck shrugs again, unable to meet her eyes, “I mean, yeah, I didn’t want any of you guys to worry.”

Hen shakes her head in frustration, “When are you going get it through that head of yours! Buck, we all care about you and want to be there for you when you need it, especially at times like these,” Buck looks up quickly at the quiet distress in Hen’s voice before it turns soft and gentle, “At the very least tell me when it’s a bad day and I’ll have your back, I don’t want to see you suffering by yourself.”

Not really knowing what to say to that, Buck pulls her into a grateful hug, ducking his face down into her shoulder and whispering thank you into her shirt. Hen immediately wraps her arms around Buck in response, with one hand cupping the back of his neck. Buck melts at the touch and leans into Hen’s warmth with his eyes closed, just reveling in the comforting embrace.

Eventually, they break apart and leave the shower room to have lunch, Buck choosing to limp ever so slightly. Hen bumps his shoulder lightly, “Come over to mine after shift. I’ve got a TENS machine that you can borrow, and I’ll find some oils that I have to help with the spasms.”

Buck slings his arm over Hen’s shoulder with a grin, “You’re the greatest.”

Hen chuckles, “Don’t you ever forget it.”

When they join the others at the table, the rest of the team instantly take note of the limp and Buck’s blotchy face from when he was crying. Before saying anything though, they all look past him at Hen, who mouthed and gestured that she had it all under control.

There were imperceptible nods from each of them which went unnoticed by Buck who was already digging into lunch.

Hen sticks close to him for the rest of the shift, helping with his jobs when she could, and in the quiet moments of downtime that they get, the two of them could be found seated on the couch with Buck’s leg being massaged in her lap as they read, taking comfort from each other’s company. 


	6. Day 6: I won’t let you do this + angst

Knowing his luck, it shouldn’t surprise him now that even on his days off he still ends up on a job. He and Bobby were spending an afternoon together and were walking along a traffic bridge when a car lost control and went crashing through the barrier and into the cold water below.

They reacted in an instant, Bobby was already dialing dispatch as they ran up to the point of entry. The bridge wasn’t too high above the water, but the river was deep, and the car was already rapidly sinking. Instinctively, Buck started stripping off his shoes and jacket but was stopped by a hand on his arm. Bobby still had the phone to his ear but was shaking his head at Buck.

Buck looks at him incredulously, “Bobby we have no other choice. How far away is rescue?”

Bobby turns his attention back to his phone and repeats the question before focusing back on Buck, “Ten minutes.”

“That’s ten minutes too long, they could drown before then. I’m going in.” He finishes taking off his jacket.

“Buck, **I can’t- I won’t let you do this**. You have no idea what could be in that water.”

Buck grips Bobby’s bicep and looks him earnestly in the eyes and says, “trust me,” before turning around and stepping off the bridge and into the dark water below.

The last time that Buck had been in a large body of water was back when he and Christopher were caught by the tsunami. He thought he was past those memories, but they all came rushing back as soon as his head went under.

He shakes his head and violently pushes all those thoughts to the side, he can’t think about any of that right now, he has a job to do and he is damn well going to do it without having a panic attack. He quickly resurfaces, treading water momentarily before taking a big gulp of air and dives down.

The car isn’t as deep as he thought, but it also wasn’t as close to the surface as he hoped. He swims around the side of it until he’s at the front of the vehicle. He could see the driver, illuminated by a small torchlight that she must have turned on. Her movements were frantic as she pulled at her seatbelt and Buck could tell that she was already underwater.

After a brief assessment Buck discovers that the front windscreen was cracked, and uses that to his advantage, turning it into his access point. Leveraging himself the best he could, Buck uses his knee to break through completely and makes the hole wide enough to be able to enter and exit safely.

The woman stares at him with wide eyes, her movements now sluggish as she runs out of air. His lungs were straining at this point and luckily, he could see some pockets of air still trapped in the roof. He makes use of this, sucking in what he could before sharing as much as he could with the woman to keep her awake.

He takes another lungful before focusing on the seatbelt. Deciding on using brute force, he settles both feet on the seat and pulls against the buckle. It comes apart easier than expected and Buck bumps back against the roof.

He gestures to the woman to swim out the hole, but she shakes her head, pointing towards the back seat. That’s when he sees the young boy strapped in a booster seat, not moving. He gestures the best he could to her in an attempt to make her understand that he’ll get her son out, and she must see something in his eyes before she nods and disappears towards the surface.

He focuses back on the young boy as dark spots appear in his vision. For a moment, he sees Christopher wearing that stripy yellow shirt from that day on the pier. Buck blinks and he vanishes, showing the still kid in front of him. There’s barely any air left in the roof and Buck uses it to puff in two rescue breaths into the kid as he tears the fabric attached to the booster seat straps, freeing the boy.

He takes the last of the air and tries two more puffs before pulling his body towards the front of the car. Buck knows he’s out of oxygen and if his vision is anything to go by, he’s seconds away from passing out from hypoxia. As his mind starts to drift, he can’t help but think he failed and the last thing he sees before his eyes fall shut is a pinprick of light moving towards him.

** ** **

Bobby is beside himself with worry, Buck had been down there for almost seven minutes and hasn’t reappeared once. Rationally, he knows that Buck is a capable person and he must have some kind of air supply if he’s been down there for that long. The paternal instincts, however, were irrationally telling him that Buck must have drowned himself trying to rescue whoever was in that car and that was why he hasn’t resurfaced.

He’s distracted from his thoughts by the woman appearing below and gasping for air. Even from this distance, he could easily tell the woman was exhausted and barely able to keep her head above water. 

Instinctively, Bobby sheds his own jacket and jumps into the water. He quickly paddles up to her, calling out as he does so and wraps his arm under the armpit and pulls her to the water’s edge.

The only thing he can hear her say is her repeating that her son was still down there. He reassures her the best he can, saying Buck will save him. Bobby closes his eyes in relief at hearing the nearby sounds of sirens. 

As soon as they appear at the edge of the bridge, he calls out to them alerting them that there were still two people underwater. He watches as one firefighter drops into the water while the paramedics move their way over to where he and the woman were situated. A second splash could be heard of another firefighter dropping in the water.

He quickly shares with the paramedics all the details he knows, and they swiftly assess the women themselves before determining that it would be safer to move her back up to the ambulance.

As they walk slowly back along the bridge, Bobby keeps his eyes trained on the spot where he last saw the men in the water, hoping, praying that Buck was okay.

It’s only a moment later that he gets his answer. Both firefighters come surging to the surface, each supporting a person. Miraculously, as soon as the boy was in open air his eyes opened and even Bobby could hear his first loud, gasping breath. For a moment he felt relieved, that was until his eyes drifted to Buck.

His eyes were closed and even from this distance, Bobby could see that he wasn’t conscious. His legs buckle beneath him and he falls against the bridge wall, not for a second taking his eyes from Buck.

A broken, “No…” escapes past his lips as he leans and watches as they bring them both up by winch. Buck looked so empty and devoid of life, Bobby almost couldn’t bear looking at him, but he also knew he couldn’t look away either.

He gravitated towards them as they lay his body flat on the concrete, hovering closely behind them without getting in the way. Thankfully, Buck came sputtering to life on the second rescue breath.

** ** ** 

The first thing Buck remembered was water. Being tossed around by the wave and not even knowing which way was up. Christopher! Where was he? He saw him in the water, didn’t he? Buck fights against whatever is holding him down and calls out. “Christopher!” 

Bobby pushes past the paramedics and cups his face with both hands, “Buck! Buck its Bobby, you’re not in the tsunami anymore. Christopher is safe. I’ve got you, you’re safe now.” 

Buck knows that voice. Bobby? Why was here? He listens to him, reminding him of where he is. He blinks back the memories and clings onto Bobby’s shirt, pulling himself up sobbing into his chest. 

“Bobby, I lost him. he’s gone. I lost Chris. I lost him.” 

“He’s okay Buck, remember? You saved him.” 

Bobby circles his arms around Buck’s shaking frame and cradles the back of his head, holding him firmly to his chest as he gently rocks back and forth. “Shh, it’s okay, you’re okay now. I’ve got you.” Buck was still tearfully muttering into his shirt, saying something along the lines of seeing Chris in the water.

It takes him a while with a lot of whispered platitudes and eventually, Buck calms down enough to properly remember why he was in the water in the first place. Gasping he pulls sharply away from Bobby, frantically looking around. 

“The kid! And his mom! Where are they? Are they okay? Are they safe?”

Buck feels a gentle hand against his face and stills at the touch, “They’re alright. You saved them. Look they’re both over by the ambulance.” Buck twists around and sure enough, both were sitting on the step of the ambulance, wrapped in emergency blankets.

He breathes a sigh of relief and rests his forehead against Bobby’s shoulder, “Thank god!”

He feels a rumble in Bobby’s chest as he chuckles, “Only you would be worried about someone else after nearly dying.”

Buck smiles into Bobby’s shirt. “Sorry Bobby, can’t help it.”

“I know kid and I wouldn’t expect anything less.”


	7. Day 7: Free Day or 10 reasons why we love Evan Buckley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me on this one, it kind of got away from me. It's not exactly what I had in mind for this one but it's what my fingers typed out.

“Hey Cap, have you heard from Buck? Is he working today?”

The last anyone had heard from him was two days ago when they had their last shift before having two days off. Their last call was a rough one; more so for Buck than anyone. He had been trapped with a young teenager who was heavily injured when the house collapsed around her. Buck was the only one to make it to her before the building became unstable and sealed off any entry points before anyone else could join them.

There was some kind of interference messing with their radios, so they weren’t entirely sure what happened in that period of radio silence, all they knew was that it was bad. By the time they had cleared a path to them, it was too late. They found Buck completely distraught with tears streaming down his face while covered in blood, cradling her body as he rocked back and forth.

By the time they were back in the ladder truck, Buck had all but shut down. His pain was palpable as he stared down at his bloodied hands while they drove back to the firehouse and no matter what they said he barely reacted. Their shift had ended by the time they were back at the station and Buck had vanished as soon as he had put his gear away.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders, “He said he was coming in.”

It wasn’t just that he disappeared from work without a word of farewell to anyone, but he also stopped answering his phone. Hen and Bobby had even stopped by his apartment the following day to check up on him, much like what they did for Bobby after the plane crash.

Buck wasn’t home. His bed was made, his work bag left by the door and his truck was still parked at the apartment, he simply dropped off the face of the earth. They were all beyond worried for him, Maddie especially - knowing that this wasn’t the first time something this had happened, she just wasn’t sure what he’d be like when he returned. The only text he answered in that time was one from Bobby saying he’ll see him at work, so at the very least they knew he was still alive.

As if saying his name had caused him to appear, Eddie spots Buck walking slowly between the trucks to the locker room. He quietly gestures to the others who were in the kitchen and they all move to rail to watch him. He looked haggard and withdrawn to say the least; his hair wasn’t smoothed back in its usual fashion, a shadow of a beard was developing and even from this distance they could see the dark circles under his eyes as if he didn’t sleep a wink, which was probably true.

Hen looks to the others worry clear on her face, “Guys, I think I have an idea that might help him.” After telling them her plan, they were all quick to get on board.

* * *

Buck was tired. Exhausted, actually. Every time he closed his eyes, he was back with Mia. He did what he could to keep her awake, to keep her alive but it was already a losing battle by the time he made it to her in the first place. Massive blood loss was the cause of death. And all he could do was talk to her until her dying breath.

He’s sure the reason he was so affected by her passing was the fact that she was so young, only sixteen years old and already wise beyond her years. She knew she was dying by the time he found her, and it was something that she had accepted. Instead of panicking, she told him all about her family and how much she loved them. As he held his hands against the gaping wound in her side, Buck promised her that he’d tell them.

She was quiet for a bit and must have read him like a book after something in his troubled face, of how much this was going to weigh on him because with the last of her strength she placed a hand over his and says her last words. “Don’t let my death…be the cause of your suffering…don’t forget…the reason…why you do this job.” She passed away beneath his hands only a few moments after that. He promised her he would, even if she couldn’t hear it.

In the time after while he waited for the others, he lets himself fall apart and mourn her passing. On the trip back to the station he resolutely plans to fulfill both his promises to Mia, something that he knew he had to do alone--

Buck is brought back to the present by a hand on his shoulder. It’s Bobby, he leans against his locker trying to appear nonchalant, but Buck can see the concern in his eyes.

“You doing okay? We haven’t heard from you in a while.”

He shrugs and looks away, “I’m fine.”

“Buck…” He hears the warning in Bobby’s tone and quickly backpedals, “Okay, I’m not fine per se, but I will be, I just-I just need to be working instead of wallowing in my thoughts.”

“Alright. That’s all I needed to know.” Bobby moves closer and lightly ruffles his hair before moving to the door, “Just so you know, we’re all here for you, don’t be afraid to lean on us.”

Buck sniffs, and nods his head still looking at the floor, “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Cap.”

“Okay then. Breakfast is on that table if you want any.” And then he’d gone.

Buck peers up at his locker and frowns, there’s a sticky note that wasn’t there a moment ago.

_10 reasons why we love Evan Buckley._

_1._ _He’s a true firefighter in and out of the uniform._

His brow knits in puzzlement as he looks out past the glass door, knowing that Bobby was the one who put it on his locker. He appreciates the sentiment, understanding what they’re trying to do without smothering him. However, he keeps to himself during their shift, still not entirely willing to be around the other and their concerned looks and questioning eyes just because of a sticky note.

Over the rest of the shift, he continues to find the rest of the series, hidden and not so hidden throughout the firehouse. And he’d be lying if said it didn’t help make getting through the day easier.

The next note he finds was trapped between the pages of the stocktake checklist – one of his set jobs for the day. Buck smiles down at it, somewhat pleased that he wasn’t just annoying them all with those little factoids, regardless of childish complaints that were made.

_Reason #2 – We love that he teaches us something everyday with fun facts from whatever he’s been researching._

The third one was attached to his helmet and he had to quickly slide it into a pocket for safekeeping before getting a chance to read it. It was a grueling call but luckily everyone made it out safely.

Buck almost forgot about the little note trapped in his pocket and only remembered when he stuffed his hands in his pockets, doing his best not to let his emotions get the best of him. He’s not ashamed to say a little tear managed to break through his mask.

_3\. We love that he’s selfless and would do anything to help another person_

The next one he finds follows closely after reading the third. Buck was in desperate need of a pick-me-up after that last call and coffee would definitely help him with that. The sticky note was attached to his mug.

_Number 4 – Even if he doesn’t realise it, he’s amazing around kids._

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he prepares the coffee. Almost every time there’s a job that involves young children, he is almost always the one requested to keep them occupied and calm. Not that he’s complaining cause as he said to Eddie when they first met, he loves kids.

_5\. He’s still a badass under pressure._

Buck chuckles at this one, knowing exactly who came up with it. It was found stuck to his phone after he’d taken a quick nap on the couch. He goes down to his locker to add it to his collection only to find the sixth one resting on top of his gym bag.

_6\. He would protect anyone he considers family (or anyone else for that matter)_

He actually barks out a short laugh in amusement. Yeah, many a time has he been scolded for recklessly protecting someone else and endangering himself in the process.

The seventh note was on the gym equipment, specifically, the punching bag and Buck can’t help but shake his head at the symbolism of it.

_#7 – He’s a fighter and always survives whatever life throws at him_.

Buck doesn’t see any more notes for a while after that. Admittedly his mood had significantly improved throughout the day and he was more willing to hang out with the others during the shift, at least until a wave of sadness rolls over him and he has to take some time to recollect himself.

The next note he finds is one of those times as it unexpectedly hits him differently from the other, bringing Mia to the forefront of his thoughts. He can’t help but choke back tears as he reads it.

_8\. We love his innate ability to make a connection with anyone he meets._

It was a little too on the nose from their last shift than the team could have realised. He did not anticipate feeling as closely connected to that young girl in the short time that he knew her. And yet he knows that she’ll always be one of the ones he’ll always remember.

The others must have sensed the change in his mood because the second to last note almost immediately followed the previous one.

_Number 9 – He has the biggest heart out of all of us._

He snorts, yeah ain’t that truth. Although he’s pretty sure Hen could give him a run for his money.

Buck finds the last sticky note back where it all began, stuck to his locker at the end of their shift. He feels the team’s presence around him as he reads it and he turns to face them. Each of them were sporting matching grins, an aura of infectious energy surrounding them and Buck can’t help but let it overtake him and returns a wide smile of his own.

He gestures towards them and they all file into the small room, circling him into a big group hug. He feels a sense of peace flow through him at the comfort that they all bring. Yeah, it’ll take him some time to feel alright again, but at least he knows that his family has his back.

_10\. And most of all we love Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley just for being him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who followed along with me, it was a bit of fun to write daily chapters (it definitely took up a lot of important study time)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading xx
> 
> Find me on tumblr  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/captainstennerstar


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